RABAT – The President of the Catalan Government Artur Mas started on Tuesday a three-day visit to Morocco aimed at promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

During his visit, Mas will hold talks with a number of Moroccan cabinet members on ways to promote friendship and cooperation ties between Catalonia and Morocco.

“Morocco is one of the south Mediterranean countries with which Catalonia has consistently maintained more intense economic and institutional relationships,” said Mas, adding that the Catalan government values the importance of bolstering institutional relations and bilateral trade with the north African kingdom.

Mas, who will lead a large delegation, is also scheduled to attend Thursday a forum on “towards a new economic cooperation between Morocco and Catalonia” in the Morocco’s economic capital of Casablanca.

“Morocco offers huge investment opportunities. This is why I came with representatives from 170 companies to explore ways of boosting bilateral cooperation,” Mas added.

The forum will be held by the Catalonian Enterprise Support Agency (ACC10) and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) to discuss economic cooperation between the two Morocco and Catalonia on a number of issues, including industry, agriculture and tourism.

Catalonia is among Morocco’s major economic and trading partners. The region’s firms constitute some 40% of Spanish firms based in Morocco, with 55% of Spanish investments from Catalonia.

In 2010, Catalonia’s exports to the Kingdom stood at 670 million euros, which represents 21.75% of Spanish exports. Its imports from Morocco reached 433 million euros (18.19% of Moroccan exports to Spain).

“The forum is also an opportunity for Catalonian and Moroccan firms to exchange expertise and explore prospects for new partnerships,” the organisers said.

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